The Brethren Court
The Brethren Court is the organization of Pirates operating under The Pirate Code and tied together by their mutual love of the seas. The Brethren Court is considered an order that all the finest pirates of the seven seas take heed to, and its social structures and rules bring balance to the world of Pirates.
Structure
The Brethren Court is organized as a coalition of captains from the seven seas. Each captain operates as an independent unit below a Pirate Lord. Pirate Lords are generally selected by the pirates of their respective region, with esteemed pirates being hoisted to Pirate Lordship regardless of whether or not there is already a Pirate Lord in their home waters. Legend dictates who becomes Pirate Lord, and when- and once one has become a Pirate Lord, there is no losing the title until death or allegorical death via exile from the brethren court.
The Pirate Lords can convene a meeting between the other Pirate Lords and vote upon any action as set forth by the Pirate Code. This is the means by which actions are coordinated on a high level across the brethren court.
Below Pirate Lords, captains are bound to do the bidding of their Lord, but it is well known that the Lords generally will not ask a favor unless absolutely necessary. If a Pirate Lord asks too much of his vassals, he risks being turned upon by his entire home waters.
Culture
The Brethren Court inherits much of its culture from Piracy in general. Swashbuckling is seen as a passion and destiny of the court and its members. So long as a pirate follows the Pirate Code, they can do no wrong. This includes looting, stealing, murdering (within reason) and also daring acts like venturing into unknown territory.
Pirates earn reputation and respect through deeds and general notoriety across the seven seas. A Pirate who is able to sack a wealthy city, or sink a massive treasure ship earns more respect. This is also true for entire crews- and while individuals like leaders earn their own reputations, crews from across the seven seas hold reputation as well. This sort of association with specific deeds and subgroups makes the individual Pirate typically very unique depending on what crews they have been on.
Much of Pirate Culture is displayed outwardly through unique identifying features like tattoos, earrings, and clothing. A pirate who was on a legendary crew will often have the crew's sigil tattooed on his body somewhere people will see it (arms, legs, back, neck, face). Certain pirates are known for their unique hats or jackets that they will sport on adventures.
A rite of passage for pirates is being branded with the "P" sigil on their dominant wrist by the East Indian Trading Company or The British Royal Navy who does this to mark people convicted of Piracy. Pirates have been known to purposely be apprehended for minor crimes to be marked to complete this rite of passage.
Public Agenda
Little is known to the general public regarding the Brethren Court, and it is seen by some buccaneers as a pretentious and exclusive club gatekept by a group of well-known pirates. To most, the Brethren Court is seen as a circle of the most dangerous pirates, and those who bear its mark have enough justification to be hung just from their appearance. They are seen as ruthless, cutthroats, thieves, and deceivers. Few of the Brethren Court can ever secure a letter of marque after the court's reveal to the world after the execution of its first Pirate King, Captain William "Bill" Mason.
History
Origins
In 1685, Captain William "Bill" Mason assembled some of the finest pirates on the Seven Seas at that time to convene in a court. This court was originally to settle several conflicts (most notably Mason's own with Ol' Smokey). At the court, the famous and revered pirates established a code by which they should operate themselves, known from this point forward as The Pirate Code.Founding
As the Pirates who assembled at the meeting retreated back to their home waters, they took the Pirate Code with them. The Pirate Code spready quickly amongst the Pirate Community, and was formally recognized by the Spanish Royal Navy in December 1684, months before the Brethren Court was even founded. The British Royal Navy would respond in March 1685 with their own declaration of war against all those bound by the "Pirate's Code" and not letters of marque. Little did they know that their prized privateer was a Pirate Lord himself. The provocations from the British and Spanish caused the pirates from the original meeting to convene again- this time with far more followers. The site they gathered at is known today as Shipwreck Cove, and at this location they founded the Brethren Court using the Pirate Code (now updated and more sophisticated) as a backbone. Those who had attended the meeting in leadership capacities became the Pirate Lords, and it was declared that there would be nine such Pirate Lords to govern over all pirates.Golden Age of Piracy
The years following the founding of the Brethren Court are referred to as the beginnings of the Golden Age of Piracy. Though there was a shadow war between the navies of several colonies in the West Indies, many pirates were able to keep their Brethren affiliations a secret. This secret organization allowed for privateers from different sides to coordinate and plan out key gains and losses for each side to keep warring governments at bay. Brethren Privateers would inform their "enemy" privateer crews of easily attackable forts, supply runs, etc. Eventually, this was caught on by the British, and they hung William Mason for "piracy" after dismissing all of their letters of marque. Since this time, the Brethren court descended into the shadows. What once was a symbiotic relationship has turned to staunch defiance against the various crowns of the seven seas. In addition, due to the fear of infiltration by spies, the brethren court is quite concealed and defensive, especially of shipwreck cove and other sensitive locations.The seas be ours and by the powers, where we live, we roam. Yo ho! All together!
Founding Date
May 12th, 1685
Alternative Names
The Pirate Court, The Pirate's Guild
Demonym
Brethren Pirate
Leader
Leader Title
Government System
Anarchy
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Barter system
Divines
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments